Needle and Thread
by Let Love In
Summary: 20 One Shot Challenge issued by mayapapaya500! Chapters vary from romantic to scandalous, or from hatred to friendship. I hope you enjoy!
1. Compass

**Compass**

**A/N: 20 One-shot Challenge issued by mayapapaya500. This is just the first of 20 oneshots/drabbles, so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own LWD :)  
**

Scavenger hunts are the pits.

Especially family-oriented scavenger hunts.

It was the first ever family reunion with the Macdonald-Venturi relatives all in one area. Except, it couldn't even be called a reunion, because most of the relatives had never met the others. If there was one thing Casey and Derek could ever agree on, it was that this was a bad idea.

"Mo-om! George!" Casey whined, back in their cozy home in Canada. Derek by her side, his arms were crossed and he was giving him typical "I-so-don't-want-to-do-this" face. But the parents stood their ground; stern looks planted firmly on their faces. The teenagers didn't have a hope in the world.

They decided on a nice location in Vermont, where the Macdonald family always used to have their reunions. Except, this time there would definitely be enough room for everyone. Every room was occupied with at least four people, and it was extremely uncomfortable most of the time. People were always struggling to get through narrow hallways, or having to wait in line to get up the wooden stairs of the large cabin, careful not to break a hole straight through. For the only two teenagers of the family, it was pure hell.

And now here they were, standing almost ankle-deep in mud, in a mess of pine trees that could barely pass for a forest. It was traditional to have scavenger hunts at the Macdonald family reunions, and they figured they could keep it alive, even with double the head count. Usually the hunts were done solo, but this time, they were all in groups of three or four. Derek, unfortunately, clung to Casey's arm, afraid of being chosen by Casey's six-year-old triplet cousins, who all happened to have mad crushes on him. Reluctantly, she agreed. The other person in the group was Derek's young cousin, Randy, and eight-year-old that had an obsession with hockey. Who could have guessed that Derek was his favorite cousin?

"What are we even supposed to be finding?" Derek whined, picking up a large stick from the forest floor and using it as a walking stick.

"The paper says we need to find a yellow bandana tied to one of these trees," Casey read, before peering from behind the rules and guidelines at the surrounding scenery. There were millions of trees.

"How the hell-" Derek stopped, looking over at Randy, "I mean, heck, are we supposed to find one yellow bandana?"

"We have this compass here," Casey pulled out the small, gold-rimmed compass with a black interior and a bright red needle.

"And these directions," She showed him the paper.

"A compass? That's it?"

Casey nodded. The needle wildly jerked about in the little compass. And Derek groaned.

"This is ridiculous!"

"Yeah, this is ridiculous!" Randy reiterated. Derek pretended not to notice.

Just has Casey had predicted, Derek whined with every last breath. He complained about the humidity, about Randy, about Casey, about the compass, about the dirt, about the musky smell, about the whole trip all together.

"Wait!" Casey exclaimed, interrupting him in mid-whine. She watched the compass intently with her big, cerulean eyes. She walked a few steps, halted, turned in a different direction, and walked a few steps that way.

"Yes!" She exclaimed. Derek and Randy both looked at her, puzzled. She pointed past them. In the distance there was a small, but evidently yellow bandana tied to a tree. Randy was the first to bolt towards the tree. Derek followed after grabbing Casey's hand and pulling her towards it. They stopped a few feet in front of the tree to watch Randy untangle it off with great struggle. Finally, it was free, and he waved it above his head like a flag.

Casey felt a light peck on her cheek.

"That compass wasn't such a bad idea after all."


	2. Virus

**Virus**

Derek sat at the dinner table, fingers gently massaging his temples. His eyes were closed; he was almost serene, in his own little way. The rest of the family looked at him very curiously.

"Derek? Are you okay?" Nora piped up, taking a bite of her salad. He opened his eyes, with some difficulty.

"I'm really, really exhausted." He replied quietly.

Casey rolled her eyes.

"From sleeping in until noon and watching TV all day?" Casey muttered. Derek didn't even notice she had opened her mouth. Instead, he closed his eyes again. George and Nora exchanged surprised glances and then looked back at their son.

"Do you think you're coming down with something?" George asked. Derek didn't respond.

"Derek?"

His eyes shot open and he looked back at his father with droopy eyes.

"I don't know. My throat kind of hurts." Again, George and Nora exchanged glances, but this time they were filled with worry.

"Eat something," Lizzie piped up, pointing at the plate of pizza and salad in front of him. He shook his head furiously.

"No, I'm not hungry,"

This time, even Casey seemed bothered. Derek would never pass up a slice of pizza, ever. George stood up and grabbed his keys.

"We're taking you to the doctor," he stated, "Nora, stay here with the kids."

She nodded in compliance. With that, Derek and George made their way slowly out of the house and into the car. The engine rumbled as the rest of the family heard the car sputter its way down the road. The rest of the dinner was eaten in silence.

Casey was in her room when she heard the front door open and close. Sneakily, she made her way out of her room and perched herself right above the stairs to see what was up. She couldn't help but feel almost dizzy when she saw George and Derek downstairs.

"Nora, come in here," George called. In a matter of seconds, Nora appeared from their bedroom.

"What is it? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Well, it's only temporary, but yes."

Casey closed her eyes, feeling multiple chills run up her spine. Nora looked at the boys expectantly.

"He has mononucleosis," George concluded. Derek looked somewhat smug, caught with a common teenager virus otherwise known as "the kissing disease". He knew how the guys at school would react. But at the moment, all he wanted to do was collapse in bed. As Nora badgered George with questions about medication, treatment, etcetera, Derek hobbled his way up the stairs, careful not to fall over. When Casey saw him approaching, she stood abruptly and ran to her room.

The next day, Derek barely wanted to get out of bed. He was exhausted, and he claimed he was freezing even if he was sweating and had layers of blankets on top of him. The rest of the family seemed fine, except for Casey. During dinner, she seemed to be worried, and her face was pale as the white tablecloth. They didn't bother asking questions.

The next morning, her throat was swollen and red, almost as bad as Derek's. No wonder it's called "the kissing disease".


	3. Bracelet

Bracelet

"Wow, Liz! That's so neat!" Lizzie's friend, Claire, exclaimed. They stood there in the center of the middle school hallway as Lizzie held out one skinny wrist. A bracelet, clinging for dear life on that wrist, dangled in front of her friends' eyes. It was a charm bracelet. Lizzie always smiled when she looked at the small little heart charm, along with all the others. There was a house, a bird, and an 'L' that personalized the whole thing. She beamed every time she looked at it.

"Yeah, isn't it?" She swooned, jiggling her wrist around for effect. Her friends had the same reaction.

"Why don't you just tell us who gave it to you?" Claire whined. The rest of the girls chimed in with "yeah"s.

"Nope, sorry!" She giggled. It was fun to keep her friends guessing. Plus, it wasn't even like she could tell them, anyways. The giver of the bracelet was to never be said, not even to her best friend.

As she made her way to lunch, Lizzie caught the eye of the giver. He smiled, and she waved with her right hand, purposefully showing the bracelet off. It made him grin even wider, if that was possible.

She stood in line and tried to pay attention to Monica's latest gossip about Chad, the fastest runner in the whole school, but her mind kept wandering back to just a few days before. When all of this had happened.

She sat in her usual spot in the game closet, picking at a piece of cardboard that had come loose from the Twister game box, when he came in. It was Valentine's Day, but Lizzie never knew it meant too much to him. But today, she saw there was a small box behind his back; a small, red, heart-shaped box. Lizzie felt her heart thump wildly in her chest.

"I know I said I wasn't really into Valentine's Day, but I figured it couldn't hurt," He said all too quickly, shoving the box in Lizzie's small hands. She looked into his big eyes for just a moment, as if asking for his permission. He nodded.

Carefully, she picked the wrapping paper off of the box, taking her time. He grew more anxious with each second. Finally, all the paper was off, and all there was left was a box. She opened the lid just as cautiously as she had taken the paper off. And there it was, the charm bracelet.

She gasped, her hand finding its way slowly to her mouth. Each charm was carefully splayed out on the velvet underbelly. The 'L' was obviously a symbol for her name, and the heart was for their newfound relationship. But the bird, and the house?

"What are these for?" She asked curiously, pointing at the two silver charms. He cleared his throat.

"Well, the bird is a symbol for unity. The house is, well, somewhat self-explanatory. It depicts our family, in a way."

Lizzie couldn't help but swoon. Her face turned a deep crimson, causing her to duck away in shame. He lifted a finger to her chin, bringing her head up slowly. He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently and tenderly.

"Lizzie! Edwin! It's time for dinner!" Nora shouted from downstairs. They sprung apart quickly, still somewhat embarrassed.

"After you," Edwin joked, holding the closet door open for Lizzie. She beamed nervously, making her way out of the cramped space. Together, they bound down the stairs, the bracelet jingling lightly in her pocket.


	4. Homework

**A/N: I am so sorry I delayed so long to make another one-shot for the challenge! I have been so busy it's ridiculous. Anywho, onto the next one-shot!  
**

**Homework**

It was about 2 o'clock in the morning, and everyone in the Macdonald-Venturi household was sleeping very, very soundly. Well, almost everyone.

A frustrated Derek sat at his cluttered desk clutching a pencil in one hand and a fistful of his hair in the other. His mind was scattered, frazzled, and extremely distracted. On top of it all, he had an unbearable headache from staring at his French assignment for more than a few hours. He muttered obscenities under his breath as he erased and erased, over and over again at his incompetent work.

As you could tell, homework was not his forte. Especially when he was failing the class, and summer school was the alternative.

For God's sakes, he didn't even know how to say, "What's your name?" in French! How could he write a paper in the language?

As he sat with his head in his hands, Casey stirred lightly in her sleep. Her mouth was dry as a desert. Sleepily, she sat up, stumbled out of the bed, and put on her slippers to grab a drink of water. Shuffling down the hallway, she saw the light on in Derek's room, and she heard the sound of a pencil breaking.

She almost started to walk again, but curiosity got the best of her. What could he be doing this late?

"Derek?" She called quietly as she opened the door. His red-rimmed eyes stared up at her with menace. "What in the world are you doing up so late?"

"This damn French assignment." He muttered angrily.

"Isn't that due tomorrow?" Casey asked. Derek looked back at his blank paper and sighed.

"Don't remind me."

Casey felt a twinge in her chest. Derek looked so distraught, and she had never seen him like this over a school assignment. She fought against her drooping eyelids and stepped into the room.

"I can… well, help you, if you want," Casey said apprehensively. She had never willingly helped Derek before, and it felt weird putting it all together in a sentence. He looked up at her with a glint of hope in his eye. But then he scowled.

"I don't need your pity," He spat, turning back to his paper. Casey rolled her eyes.

"Suit yourself." She replied before turning to get her water.

"Wait," She heard him mumble. She poked her head through the doorway.

"Yes?"

"I guess you can help me. But what's it going to cost me?" He asked with a weak voice. He looked absolutely exhausted. Casey pondered this for a second.

"Here's the deal. It won't cost you anything if you don't make fun of me, ridicule me, trip me, or call me names for tonigh- actually, make it for the rest of the month." Casey negotiated. Derek showed an obvious feeling of discontentment towards this, but agreed.

"Okay, so what is this paper on?" She asked while pulling up a rolling chair next to Derek. They both jolted a little in their seats with Casey's bare leg accidentally brushed Derek's.

"Uh, our family. This is going to suck." Derek murmured. Casey silently agreed. Their family was definitely a complicated subject to write about.

"All right. Well, I guess you can start out with something like 'My family is very big.'" Casey said.

Derek looked at the paper for a few seconds.

"How do you say 'my family'?" Derek asked, a totally serious look on his face.

"You're joking, right? Have you been asleep all year?" Casey asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry I'm not writing down every word the teacher says, unlike you, grade grubbe- never mind."

Casey frowned.

"Well if you don't want my help…"

"No! No, please. Just tell me how to say 'my family is big'." Derek pleaded.

"Ma famille est grande." Casey said as Derek scribbled the words down. _This is going to be a loooong night._ She thought.

And it was. This was basically how the whole night commenced. Casey would feed Derek sentences that he clearly didn't know, they would squabble, and then she would threaten to leave him to do it on his own. They tackled that paper until four in the morning.

"I… I better go to bed…" Casey muttered quietly. She was already half asleep on Derek's desk. She tried to make herself move, but no avail. Her body was already in sleep mode.

Derek stood up, wobbled a little, but then steadied himself. He looked down at Casey, who seemed extremely uncomfortable in that chair. After debating whether or not he thought he could make it to Casey's room without collapsing, he picked her up, placed her down horizontally on one end of his bed and put the comforter over her thin body. Making sure he was as far away from her as possible, he crawled in as well and drifted into a deep sleep.

When the alarm went off, they were just inches away. Casey was the first to scream. She jumped out of his bed, and then remembered why she was in his room in the first place.

"Uh… let's just forget that ever happened." Casey muttered as Derek nodded fervently. And with that, she stumbled into her own room, breathless.

**A/N: Take this however you want! It can be seen as Dasey or it can be seen as anything else. Tell me what you think!**


	5. Daisy

**Daisy**

"I don't know, Em. What if I'm just nervous about deepening the relationship with Max? I just don't think I could break up with him…" Casey nervously stated as she sat on her best friend's bed.

"Casey. Trust me on this one. All of these small problems you have with him are turning into one big problem. And you've told him at least four times about these things and he doesn't seem to be changing!" Emily exclaimed, "You just have to listen to me. All of these pent up problems will bubble over eventually. One of these days he's going to give you a bouquet of roses instead of daisies and you'll flip. And it'll be over and he won't understand why."

Emily was right. But Casey didn't want to admit it. She couldn't break up with Max… even if he was bothering her. Forgetting their anniversary was one thing, but forgetting her 17th birthday was a whole different thing.

"I'll think about it, Em. Thanks for talking to me, but I think I'll go home and rest a little. I think I'm coming down with something…" Casey muttered, before hugging Emily goodbye and leaving.

The next day, Casey decided to hang out with Max and see if she could bring herself to break up with him. They went on a movie date to go see a new action movie which 'looked cool', according to Max. She yawned throughout the whole movie, knowing that she had told Max before that she hated action or adventure movies.

Apparently he forgot, once again.

But she couldn't do it. She couldn't break up with him just yet. And she honestly couldn't even think of the words to do it. He told her he planned to take her out for ice cream afterwards, but she told him she wasn't feeling well and went home.

The next morning, unfortunately, she woke up with a terrible cold. Her nose ran, her head pounded, and she was freezing even with a pile of blankets resting on her. She was resting in the living room with Derek, who took this advantage to watch whatever he wanted on TV because Casey didn't care one bit.

Just as Casey began to drift off to the sound of the hockey game on TV, the doorbell rang. Nora scurried to answer it.

"Oh, hello Max! Casey told you she wasn't feeling well, right?" She asked. Casey didn't hear the response. Max sauntered in with his hand behind his back and a huge smile on his face.

"Hey Casey, I got you something…" He smiled, taking out a bouquet of roses out from behind his back. She remembered the exact conversation she had with Emily a few days prior. _One of these days he's going to give you a bouquet of roses instead of daisies and you'll flip._

"Roses," Casey stated plainly, "Max, you know I hate roses."

Max's face dropped. Casey struggled to stand up and lead him to another room for privacy.

"Listen, I don't think this is going to work." Casey said nervously. Max looked at her in disbelief. He raised his tone and spoke angrily,

"Because I got you roses instead of… instead of…"

"Daisies, Max! And not for that reason, but for all the little things you have forgotten! I hate action movies, and you took me to an action movie last night. You gave me candy with peanuts in it on what you thought was our anniversary, and failed to remember I'm allergic to peanuts. You forgot my 17th birthday, for God's sakes. You just aren't boyfriend material!" Casey yelled, forgetting that Derek was in the other room.

Max looked at her angrily.

"You're just expecting too much out of me."

Casey's jaw dropped.

"Get out of my house." She seethed, feeling tears in her eyes. Max scowled and stormed out. Casey waited until she heard him rev up his engine and speed off before she ran upstairs and slammed the door. She stayed in there all night.

The very next morning there was a single daisy on her nightstand, with a note next to it.

_I just thought you would appreciate it._

_-D_

**A/N: Ahh I love Derek and Casey! Anyways, please tell me how this one turned out because I'm pretty pleased with it.**


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